Charles McCall

Charles Adelbert McCall III (born April 19, 1970) is an American politician who currently serves as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he represents the 22nd House District, which is located in southeastern Oklahoma. He is known as the longest reigning Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Early life and education
McCall was born on April 19, 1970, to Charles Andrew McCall and Barbara Ann McCall (née Clure), in Atoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from Atoka High School in 1988. He attended the University of Oklahoma, graduating in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in finance and economics. He became a licensed nursing home administrator in 1993 before earning an MBA in banking at the University of Colorado Boulder Graduate School of Banking, graduating in 2000.

Early career
Beginning in high school, McCall started working as a part-time bank teller at AmeriState Bank, a family-owned bank that was bought by his grandfather C.A. McCall in 1967. He became president of AmeriState in 2001 and CEO in 2008. McCall resigned from his positions as CEO and president in 2012 after being elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, but remained as chairman of the board.

From 2004 to 2005, McCall was a city councilman for Atoka's Ward 4 before serving as the mayor of Atoka from 2005 to 2012.

Oklahoma House of Representatives
McCall was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2012, defeating Democrat Doris Row, of Sulphur and succeeding Wes Hilliard from Oklahoma's 22nd House District. He became the first Republican to be elected to that seat. He was re-elected by default in 2020. He retired due to term limits in 2024.

Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
On May 2, 2016, the Republican caucus voted to have McCall as their next Speaker over House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Earl Sears of Bartlesville. He was elected Speaker-designate by the Republican caucus on November 15, one week after he was reelected to his seat in the November 8 elections. He was formally elected Speaker on January 3, the first day of the 55th Oklahoma Legislature.

In 2018, four other Republican members challenged McCall for the position of speaker. Three of the four withdrew before the vote, with Chad Caldwell of Enid left opposing McCall. On March 8, the Republican caucus reelected McCall as speaker in a closed-door vote.

In April 2023, a "week before the deadline for bills to be heard in the opposite chamber's committees," McCall and the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, Greg Treat, were said to "continue to throw jabs at each other's education plans," leading parents and educators to be concerned there wouldn't be a solution that session. As the session neared its end, both McCall and Treat still had not come to an agreement. It was reported that the "two sides didn't even agree on how much they had been talking about education." McCall reportedly thought the talks were going well, while Treat said he didn't feel "very hopeful."

For school vouchers in a bill introduced in 2023, Treat acknowledged that "private schools wouldn’t be forced to admit all students, but he believes schools would expand enrollment when more families can afford it." Democrats have had concerns that "there are no assurances that low-income students would be admitted into a private school." Treat has also accused McCall of "refusing to negotiate and said the Senate’s income cap was a 'more responsible' school choice plan."

Personal life
In 1994, McCall married his wife, Stephanie Ann Hays, whom he met while they were students at the University of Oklahoma. Stephanie McCall, originally from Chickasha, Oklahoma, graduated with a degree and certification in elementary education in 1994 and formerly worked as a public school teacher in the Atoka Public School District. He and his wife have two sons: Chase (born c. 1999) and Carson (born c. 2002). He and his family attend the Cornerstone Church in Atoka, where he serves as a church elder and teacher.